The Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation has reiterated that there are procedures in place for the adoption of infants as outlined in the Adoption of Infants Act.
The Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation permanent secretary Dr Josefa Koroivueta made this comment while responding to media reports of three babies who were given up by mothers after giving birth at the CWM hospital.
Dr Koroivueta said that the Ministry’s responsibilities and services are governed by the Juveniles Act, Section 40 for the placement of abandoned babies.
“The placement is facilitated depending on the availability of space in residential homes and foster parents. The Ministry works in alignment to the existing Juveniles Act under the state, there are nine (9) registered Homes. These are Boys Centre, Dilkusha Home, St Christophers, Mahaffy Girls, Treasure Home, Veilomani Boys, Lomani Au Children’s Home, St Meena’s Home, and Homes of Hope,” he confirmed.
Dr Koroivueta emphasised that the Adoption Procedures are carefully structured to ensure that children that are adopted are placed in a new and enabling family environment.
“There are well defined procedures for adoption as captured in the Adoption of Infants Act. The utilization of marketing deploys through social networks and informal networks for child adoption is a clear breach of the child rights. The well-being of the child is of paramount and leaking of information or taking pictures of abandoned children without proper consent of the Ministry of Social Welfare is a serious breach of confidentiality and violation of children’s rights,” he said.
“This is undertaken to ensure child welfare is upheld at all levels. The government monitors the child’s welfare in the new home in the first three months to confirm that the child has bonded with attachment to the new family.
“The Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Homes of Hope in facilitating the adequate care and support to teenage mothers. The Ministry also administers the Care and Protection (C&P) from the allocated budget of $5.9 million to families/guardians supporting children other than their own, or for parents facing financial difficulties in maintaining the basic care for their children and to residential homes that provide care for children who are placed under the care of the Director of Social Welfare as provided in the Juvenile Act,” Dr Koroivueta added.
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